


A Thousand Suns

by Eli (AisukuriMuStudio)



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon Disabled Character, Established Relationship, F/F, Family Issues, Femslash, Fluff, Minor Angst, Swearing, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 13:30:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8329663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AisukuriMuStudio/pseuds/Eli
Summary: When Rose's girlfriend shows up in the middle of the night, Rose tries to comfort her as best she can.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I have nothing against Machiavelli, he just seems like an easy target. Also I read the preface of a few of his works and decided I would never read him. (This will make more sense when you've finished the fic.)
> 
> I would also like to post a warning: the "family issues" discussed in this fic border on emotional abuse, so if this kind of content is potentially triggering to you, I would recommend closing the fic. It doesn't go in-depth, but there are specific facets mentioned, so please be aware and take care of yourself first.
> 
> This is my first Zestiria fic, so I hope you all like it! Also, please let me know if my handling of Dezel is at any way inappropriate or inaccurate. Thank you so much. I hope you all enjoy!

“What are you doing here?”

Alisha laughed, her voice like the ringing of a bell, bright and clear and true. Rose scoffed, but in all honesty, she couldn’t find it in herself to be angry. Even if it was past midnight and Rose _knew_ Alisha had an 8 AM class. How the hell could she be mad at a woman with a laugh like _that_?

Rose rolled her eyes and stepped out of the doorway, letting Alisha into her apartment. “Fine, come on in. But be careful, I think Dezel’s asleep.” And it was never a good idea to wake Dezel up. The man was bad enough in the mornings before he had coffee – waking him up in the middle of the night was a surefire way to end up dead.

Alisha closed the door behind her and stood for a moment, glancing around. Alisha had visited before, but usually in daylight; she’d had a strict curfew when she’d lived with her parents, and it was still mostly ingrained in her. That was probably what surprised Rose the most about Alisha’s visit, above everything else.

Something must’ve been troubling her.

“Want anything to drink?” Rose asked as she made her way into the kitchen. She filled the kettle with water, before setting it on the stove. “I’ve got more of that tea you like. Or if you want cocoa, I’ve got that, too, and it’s cold as _fuck_ outside.”

Alisha shrugged off her coat, setting it on the couch. There wasn’t a coatrack for her, because Rose wasn’t made of money. “The tea sounds wonderful,” Alisha said, her first real words. “Thank you, Rose.”

Rose shrugged in return, rifling through the cabinets for the tea bags. In the quiet of the apartment, Rose heard Dezel snoring in the other room. Ugh. Rose wrinkled her nose and, to fill the silence, flipped on the television. It was always kept at a low volume – Dezel was more sensitive to noise than Rose was. She turned it down a few more notches, just in case.

Still, even with that noise in the background, Alisha seemed eerily quiet. Rose was more worried than she probably should have been. “What brings you to my humble abode, sweetheart?” Rose finally asked. Before Alisha could answer, the kettle began to whistle; Rose cursed under her breath as she hurried to pull it off the stove. Dezel was probably awake now, which was just fucking _great_ ; Rose couldn’t _wait_ to suffer through another lecture of his.

She probably should’ve thought of that before deciding to make tea, but oh well!

She poured out the steaming water into matching mugs Alisha had gifted her for Christmas last year. (They were ceramic, and made to look like cats; one white with black facial markings and the other one opposite that. Rose adored them and used them whenever Alisha visited, because honestly, two lesbians drinking matching _cat mugs_ – that was _such_ a gay thing to do.) When she turned, Alisha already sat at the table; Rose joined her, handing Alisha the white one.

“All right,” Rose said, crossing her legs. Alisha looked up, her gaze as calm and collected as it ever was. “Time to talk, princess.”

Alisha gave another shrug, looking down at her mug again. This time her expression was contemplative. “…I’ve been under a lot of stress lately,” she said finally. It felt like a confession, though Rose wasn’t sure what exactly Alisha was confessing to. Her voice was soft but firm. “Grad school isn’t going as well as I’d hoped. And Maltran called me.”

“ _Again_?” Rose blurt out, eyes wide; she hadn’t _meant_ to, it just kind of, she just kind of forgot how to control her own mouth sometimes. Alisha looked up at her again, surprise on her face – and then there was the sound of a door slamming shut that made the both of them flinch.

“I’m heading out.” It was Dezel’s voice, but Rose was frozen, cheeks red, unable to turn to face him. She heard the jingle of metal against metal, knew it to be because Dezel had a leash in his hand rather than his keys. He definitely sounded pissed. Shit.

Rose watched Alisha’s gaze as Dezel moved around their table and to the door, his trusty sheepdog Spike following him out the door. When it was shut, and there was the sound of the door locking, Alisha let out a breath. “How does he get the dog to follow him at this hour?” she asked.

“Beats me,” Rose replied with a shrug, letting out a similar breath. She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until Dezel was off. “Shit. I’m an awful roommate. This is the third time this month I’ve woken him up in the middle of the night. He’s going to yell at me.”

The look on Alisha’s face, then, could only be described as crestfallen. “I shouldn’t have come,” she said with a sigh, and stood. “I’m sorry to bother you—”

“ _What?_ ” Rose scoffed and waved her hand until Alisha got the message and took her seat again. “No, seriously. It’s not your fault I’m a loudmouth. You know that.”

Alisha laughed, soft this time, almost embarrassed. “Well, that I do,” she admitted, and that brought a smile back to Rose’s cheeks. “Sorry. We might as well make the most of Dezel’s absence, right?”

“Precisely!” Rose said. “So, what were you saying about Maltran? She called you _again_?”

Alisha sobered and took a drink of her tea, almost a swig, considering her words before saying them. “The situation with my aunt is complicated,” she said, as if Rose didn’t already _know_ that. “I hesitate to accuse her of any malevolence or ill will on her part. I do try to give her the benefit of the doubt. That being said, the phone calls have become unbearable.”

Rose nodded, taking a sip of her own tea. She didn’t actually care much for the stuff, but she thought she might be growing fond of it, simply for the fact she only drank it around Alisha. “What did she say this time?” Rose asked, watching her girlfriend.

Alisha shrugged, and that single motion said more than words ever could. “It’s… become hard to tell when she’s being genuine and when she’s not,” Alisha said quietly, barely audible over the television. “Sometimes she’s supportive and warm, and she seems like she’s coming around. Like she means it when she says I’ll be as great a politician as my mother was.” Ouch. That hurt just hearing it from Alisha; Rose couldn’t imagine how much it must have hurt hearing it firsthand. “Other times – like tonight…”

Rose waited, but Alisha didn’t elaborate. That was fair; Rose had a good idea of what Maltran was shoving into Alisha’s head anyway. Ugh. “No offense, but I hate your aunt,” Rose said with a scowl.

“No offense,” Alisha replied, her voice calm and easy in a way that told Rose that Alisha felt anything _but_ , “but that doesn’t help me.”

Rose winced. “Yeah… shit. Sorry.”

They sat in silence for a while, then, Rose wondering what could be done. And in all honesty – nothing. There was nothing Rose could do for Alisha tonight that would resolve the tense situation with Maltran. It was irritating as _fuck_ to realize that, but if she thought about it that way, she found that there might be a way to make this night better for Alisha.

After all, Alisha didn’t deserve to have that sour look on her face. No matter what put it on there.

Their cups empty, Rose stood, taking them both with her. “Okay, here’s what I’m going to do,” she said as she walked to the kitchen, sticking the mugs in the sink to be washed later. “I’m going to head into my bedroom and change into my PJ’s.” Because Rose was, unfortunately, the kind of girl who waited to change until she hopped into bed, rather than changing when she got home. “Then I’m going to set my alarm so I remember to wake you up in time for your class tomorrow. And then you’re going to tell me all about that book you’ve been reading for class that you absolutely hate.”

Alisha’s laugh, this time, was bright. It made Rose’s heart skip a beat. “You’re going to let me vent about Machiavelli? But—you _hate_ it when I talk about those books!”

Rose shrugged, stepping forward again. “Yeah, I did say that. I stand by that.” Honestly, the kind of books Alisha read for her class put Rose to sleep. It only served to show how Amazing (capital-A) Alisha was. “But I like listening to you get passionate. Even if it _is_ about books. So, what do you say?”

Besides, Alisha needed _some_ way to vent stress. This was about the best outlet Rose could offer her, aside from sex, but Rose didn’t think they were ready for that yet. (Certainly not when Dezel would be back any moment, and would likely overhear. Ugh.)

Alisha giggled, and then she stood, letting out a soft sigh. “All right. I suppose that’s acceptable. Can I borrow a nightshirt again?”

“Of _course_ ,” Rose said with a grin, one that made Alisha turn pink in the cheeks. “Will you let me pick it out?”

Alisha rolled her eyes and closed the gap between them, pressing a kiss to Rose’s lips. “Shut up,” she muttered, like she always did, and Rose let out a laugh, following Alisha to the bedroom.

The smile on Alisha’s face was like a thousand suns, and Rose would do everything she could to keep it there.


End file.
